Somebody's Father
by RougeLioness
Summary: Just a quick story about if Joey hadn't been as okay with Audrey and Pacey, and if she had called Pacey to the hospital after being mugged.
1. Chapter 1

There are these moments in life when your stomach drops and breathing gets just a bit better. Joey Potter had a lot of these in her life, most of them bad. From a childhood that was lacking a mother, a stable father, and money to the heartbreaks she has given and received over her teenage years. Then there were the good ones. Every time she kissed a boy she got that feeling in her gut that she would refuse to describe as butterflies. And sometimes they were good kisses with the right boy where the butterflies made her smile and made her feel alive. Then there were the ones where she just wanted to go back to being that little kid watching movies with her best friend. What surprises her most is when she realizes something and suddenly her stomach is flipping and her world feels just a little off center.

Which is exactly how she feels when she figures out just why she is taking Pacey to go rescue her roommate from the bathroom she is refusing to leave. The funny thing is she knows it isn't fair. She was just getting those tingly butterflies that made it hard to think with her professor and here she is with a twisting stomach and she feels like crying. Of course she does what Joey does and goes to comfort her friend, ignoring Pacey's eyes on her. Why would it be weird if her ex-boyfriend who broke up with her over six months ago starts dating her roommate? And is it just a little bit wrong that she would much much prefer him to be hooking up with some random ditz then with her amazing roommate?

"Why should I be upset? Because you kissed Pacey?" She hoped she sounded like it was a funny notion and not like she was actually upset. "I'm not exactly upset."

"Really?" Audrey sounded like such a little girl sometimes. Of course that is a side effect of growing up the way they all did.

"I mean it might be a little weird, but I love you." She grabbed Audrey at the waist and then turned to grab Pacey by the hips. "And I love you. In the simplest ways possible." She knew she shouldn't look at Pacey but she couldn't help to look up his eye which were just as bright as she always remembered. One of the reasons she didn't get this close to him often. She turned to Audrey again before she got caught up in that smile that always made her a little weak at the knees.

"So you are giving us permission?" Audrey was watching Joey, oblivious to the tension that seemed to be radiating off her.

"You don't need my permission. I'm not sure how great this idea is but you have my blessing if you want." She had barely managed to get the words out before Audrey's arms were around her, spinning her around a few times. When she looked up from the hug she was looking directly into Pacey's eyes and she held the eye contact till Audrey was in Pacey's arms. After a few seconds he released her from the hug and told her to go get back to work and that he would be back in a few minutes. Which left Joey alone with Pacey and suddenly she wished she hadn't left the professors house to come sort out her friends. Why did she always have to be the mature one anyway? After about a minute of silence that seemed to stretch forever she looked up from the sinks and into the mirror, almost instinctively meeting his eyes in the mirror. He had moved to lean against the doorway to one of the stalls, hands in pocket and head tilted to the side.

"You sure your okay with this?" How did his voice manage to go so low? And why did it always make her palms sweaty?

"I'll be fine." She could see the next question before she had even finished answering. "I should be getting back to..." she flung her arm towards the door. She did not want to discuss what she was doing before she got here. That would just lead to a discussion of what might happen after she left and she suddenly realized she might not want to be going back.

"You know if this makes you uncomfortable I wouldn't. You just have to say the words."

"What am I suppose to say Pacey?! That this is awkward? It's awkward okay! Do you want me to tell you that I think it's a mistake? Well I do. But we broke up a long time ago and I don't have the right to be upset by this. Did you see how happy she is? I can't take that away." She saw him straighten up and immediately started for the door.

"What about what I want? What makes me happy?" Her hand stopped turning the knob halfway and she hung her head a little before turning to look at him, not taking her hand off just yet.

"What would make you happy Pace?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. She didn't want this fight. She just wanted to go back to her dorm and curl up under her blankets.

"You know that answer, Potter. You always have." He went to take a step towards her but she was pulling open the door and leaving before he could reach his arm out to her. She turned back to him as the door closed behind them both.

"I can't make you happy anymore. Go kiss the girl Pace. You might just be good together."

And then she was gone into the snowy night, leaving the only boy who loved her the way she always wanted and needed to be loved standing there in the dark hallway to unsure to make a move either way.

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 **I hope you guys liked this. I have a few more chapters written then I'm not sure if I want to continue it on, or where to go from there. Let me know what you think?**

 **As Always its fanfiction so I obviously don't have any ownership of any of the characters etc.**


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up in a strange place is always a difficult experience. The lights are to bright and the noises just a little to loud. It takes a couple minutes for Joey to realize she is the hospital and then there is a doctor saying words she can't hear and she is piecing together who she is and how she got here. Her memories come back as she is opening her eyes, the flash of a gun and a guy who reminded her a little to much of her father. The car crash and the way his blood was freezing as it came from him. Suddenly she can hear the doctor saying something about shock and fluids, motioning to her arm where an iv is. Then he asking if there is anyone he can call and before she can really think she is nodding and giving him Pacey's name and number. He is typing it into the phone and then its at her ear before she comes up with the words to say she doesn't need him.

"Hello?"

"Pace? Umm Hey." She is doing her awkward chuckle and she is watching the doctor check her stats to calm her nerves.

"Jo? What's wrong? Where are you?" She knows he is probably already standing up and grabbing his coat because thats just the kind of guy that he is. The kind of guy you really want there on nights as bad as these.

"Shh. Are you still with everyone? I don't want them to know. Just tell them I missed the last bus or something and come pick me up?" The doctor has walked away so she watches as he pulls a nurse to the side, nodding at her before going on his way.

"Where are you?" He sounds calmer and when she takes to long to answer she can hear him telling everyone to continue without him and that he would talk to them the next day. She waits till she hears a door shut behind him.

"Don't freak out. I'm at Boston General. I'm fine, I just really need a ride." She hears him breath out a sigh, the kind he use to give whenever he was worried about her.

"Give me fifteen minutes, I'll be there." And then he is hanging up and she wants to tell him to drive careful but instead she is just cradling her phone in one hand while the nurse is setting up her 2nd Iv. Joey knows better then to look at where they had to put the needle in. She use to stare at her mom's line, and when her mom was asleep she would run her fingers over the area. She wants to tear the IV out and she wants to run out of the hospital. Part of her is always going to be that little girl, watching her mom die. Just as she starts thinking about her mom she hears Pacey's voice, a few seconds before all she can smell, and all she can feel is him. She is trying not to cry but she knows its a losing battle so she tucks her head into his chest and just lets him hold her for a few seconds.

"They just started this bag and they usually last like an hour so I should be ready to go soon." She is pulling away, putting distance before she breaks down completely.

"What happened?" He is sitting on her bed, her hands suddenly in his as he runs his fingers along the top of her hands.

"Guy needed some money, guess he wasn't making enough selling drugs." And then she is laughing, because only Joey Potter could be mugged for her jacket and 300 dollars by a man who reminded her of her father. Pacey still looks concerned so she squeezes his hand. "I'm fine." At his dubious look she sends him one of her shy smiles. "I will be. Just a little bit of shock. I passed out but someone caught me. No concussion or anything." He hugged her close again, and she could feel the barely there kisses to her hair. Then she was pulling away, but he still was holding onto her hands. She can tell he is trying to think of something to say, or trying very hard not to say something.

"I think you deserve some hot chocolate after this evening Miss Potter." Suddenly the nurse is back, discharge papers in hand. "Maybe your boyfriend can go grab some after we go over these. The Iv should be done soon."

"I can do that." Pacey interrupts before she can contradict the boyfriend statement, looking relieved at having a job to do.

"Okay then, so Miss Potter you just need to sign these. Now we didn't see any signs of a concussion or anything out of the usual, but if you feel funny, or if you are experiencing any dizziness you come straight back here. Maybe try to eat a little more. Understood?" The nurse handed the papers over to Joey who glanced at them, nodding her head to the nurse. "Okay then, I will be back in a few minutes to remove the Iv. Mr. Whitter do you want me to show you the machine with the best coffee?" Joey rolled her eyes a little at the flirting tone. Pacey jumped up from the bed, with one final squeeze to her hands and a kiss to the top of her head. She watched as he smiled that smile that could get him anything he wanted as he walked with the nurse. She wondered if he was trying to get her number or if he was trying to get more information.

Before she knew it the nurse was back, removing her line and lowering the bed so she could get up easier. As she started to walk out to find Pacey, she saw a little girl, a teddy bear in hand. There were doctors and nurses walking around her, but no parent in sight. After introductions, were made she was walking down the crowded hallway with a little hand in hers. When the girl tugged on her hand a little she knew it must be her mom standing at the desk. The look of relief on her face was obvious. It always made Joey a little sad to see a girl with her mother but she put a smile on her face, assuring her mom it was no problem. Before she knew what she was doing she was offering to sit with her for a moment.

The girl was talking about how worried her teddy bear was about her dad when Pacey walked over, a hot chocolate in both hands.

"Nothing cures a case of waiting room blues like a cup of hot chocolate!" He exclaimed, passing one to Joey before making eye contact with the girls mother, asking a silent permission before passing her the cup. As Joey basically curled up around the steaming cup she suddenly remembered one of the many reasons she loved Pacey. He could walk into almost any situation and automatically at least seem to feel comfortable. He just radiated confidence. Then she was introducing Pacey to the little girls mom and he was stealing sips of her hot chocolate while she was sticking her tongue out at him.

Of course Pacey being Pacey ended up playing patty cake on the floor in the middle of the er waiting room with a child he had just meet. It didn't take long for Joey to put the pieces together and figure out just who this woman and her daughter were. She made eye contact with Pacey - who for his part was managing to keep the little girl entertained while also with just a glance letting Joey know that he to had figured it out. There was this confidence that came from being around a man like Pacey Witter. The type you get when you know that no matter what you have someone on your side.

So she left him waiting while she basically went to comfort the man who attacked her. And even with all the machines and the doctors, she knew to well that doctors couldn't do everything. But she hated him for not being able to tell her why her father did what he did. Because there wasn't an answer to that question. Besides that life is life and people make mistakes. Maybe he didn't see another way, maybe he was to numb to try, or maybe he wasn't the same guy who use to tuck her in with a story every night. Even worse of a thought was maybe he was. Maybe he lost his way, but maybe he had done everything he could do to keep his kids fed. And when this guy who was basically a stranger died in front of her she found herself aching for the little girl who was still sitting in the waiting room. She would have the same questions haunting her late at night.

Joey wiped the tears from her cheeks before joining everyone back in the waiting room. Pacey's eyes met hers and she knew he knew without a word having to be spoken. Then she was catching the woman's eye and shaking her head. How do you mourn for someone you resented as much as you loved? How do you tell a little girl that her father wasn't okay? Joey knelt down in front of the girl and told her how her father was a hero. Because no girl needed to grow up knowing that their father was a criminal. There was enough bad things in a lifetime to try to preserve some innocence.


	3. Chapter 3

Numbness is all Joey felt, all she really wanted to feel on the ride home. It felt like a cruel twist of irony to mourn for a man who had just earlier that night attacked her. So when Pacey walked her to her room she found herself holding onto his hand and pulling him inside. Thankfully Audrey wasn't yet home, she wasn't ready for the questions.

Pacey sat on the end of her bed, watching as she hung her coat up before glancing around the room like she wasn't sure what she was suppose to be doing.

"You okay?" He was barely above a whisper, but she looked over at him and nodded all the same. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." And then she was so close to him, and he was reaching out his hands to her hips to steady her. His thumbs found the dip of her hip where her shirt always rode up.

"Anything I can do?" He couldn't help the rumble of his voice, it always got that way when she was this close to him.

"Yea." And she hadn't have even finished that sentence before she was kissing him and he was kissing her back. She was all need and desire and he felt both like he was drowning and like he was breathing for the first time in a long time. They stopped kissing for a few minutes while she pulled his shirt off and then he was on his back and she was kissing him again. Her shirt quickly joined his somewhere on the floor, and then her hands were on his belt and he was trying to get back under control. He knew this wasn't about them, and while he wasn't against meaningless sex, he was very against the idea of having meaningless sex with Joey Potter. Probably because you can't exactly have meaningless sex with someone you have been in love with for as long as you can remember.

"Jo." He had his hands over hers, stilling their movement. Her lips were marking his neck and he wanted to give in. Wanted her just as much as he always had. Just not like this. Not without talking about whatever this was. So he brought his hand up and tucked he hair behind her ear, bringing her eyes up to meet his. As soon as they did hers were filling with tears and she was ducking her head into his chest where she started sobbing.

"I got you. It's gonna be okay Jo." He wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry on his chest. He knew this little make out session was just her way of gaining some sort of control. Eventually the sobbing turned to silent crying with the occasional hiccup.

"He reminded me of my dad." He felt her whisper against his chest before it reached his ears. He wrapped his arms around her tighter in response.

"I know."

"I asked him why. And he told me that his daughter needed money for daycare. He had spent it on drugs." She is laughing, the laugh she does when she doesn't know what she should be feeling. "He died trying to get 300 dollars. And I could just tell that he loved her."

"Your dad loves you." At her laugh he looked down at her. "He isn't very good at it, and we all know he has made well past his fair share of mistakes but I have seen the way he looks at you. He loves you, he does a terrible job at it but he does."

"You know you are the only one who could understand that."

"People aren't as black and white as we all wish they were." Her voice was getting quieter and he could tell she was close to falling asleep. Hopefully the shock of the whole day would be worn enough for her to be able to sleep. He was just getting up to leave when she curled herself into him, pulling herself closer with an arm over his chest. "Will you stay with me?"

"Anything for you Potter."


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my god!" Audrey's voice woke both Pacey and Joey, causing them to both jump and bump heads.

Pacey mumbled while rubbing his forehead. Joey meanwhile was wrapping the blanket over her chest, blinking the sleep from her eyes rapidly.

"Hey Audrey." Her voice was tentative.

"Well this is awkward! I mean am I upset or happy that my roommate is finally getting some? I mean it is with the guy she just told me I could go for. But he was hers first. Not that anyone can really own anyone or anything. But Oh my god! Is this why you left so quickly last night? To jump into bed with Joey?!" Audrey sure could say a lot at a high volume while not taking any breaths. Pacey for his part just looked at Joey, waiting to take whatever lead she wanted.

"I was at the hospital last night." The honesty route it was.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" Audrey was suddenly all concern, dropping to the foot of the bed. Apparently any awkwardness finding her roommate and her almost boyfriend was gone.

"Yea, this guy just needed some money and decided by gunpoint would be the best way to go about it. He got hit by a car, I passed out from shock. And you said I was boring!" Pacey could recognize Joey using her humor to try to keep her emotions in check.

"Oh my god! I can't stop saying that! Are you sure you are okay?" At Joey's nod Audrey seemed to rerealize that she just walked in to find them half clothed. "Wait how did this happen?" With a hand gesture to the bed in general, which she jumped up from to sit on her bed.

"Well I am just irresistible!" Pacey joked, wrapping his arm around Joey's shoulder. Joey smacked him in the stomach before bending over to grab a shirt and slip it on.

"I called him to pick me up and we got back kinda late and I was all emotional so..." Joey stuttered out, making a similar gesture to her bed and in Pacey's general direction.

"Oh. Well I'm meeting Jen for breakfast if you guys want to join? Or I guess I can bring something back for you?"

"Can you bring back a muffin or something for me? And coffees. Lots of coffee." Joey smiled at Audrey, hoping if she pretended this wasn't awkward that it wouldn't be awkward.

"Yea sure thing! I'll be back later!" Then Audrey was gone, the door swinging closed behind her.

There was an extended silence before Joey looked at Pacey and then they were both smiling, then they were laughing.

"So what do you think Potter? Are we gonna chalk this up to a way to vent a stressful night or are we going to acknowledge the undeniable chemistry between us?" She loved his voice when he was smiling.

"Depends. Do you got a boat we could sail away on?" She sent him one of her smiles that is the first thing he can remember that ever made him feel loved.

"Actually I was thinking I might stay in dock for awhile."

"Any idea how long that might be?"

"However long it takes for this beautiful girl that has my heart to grow tired of me."

"Are you sure?"

"You don't even have to ask Potter." And then he was kissing her cheeks and kissing her lips and they were laughing. And boy did that girl have a beautiful laugh.

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 **So this is all I have so far. I hope you guys liked it, let me know if I should write more?**

 **Hopefully the characters aren't to far out of character. This is my first Dawson's creek fanfiction so I'm just getting into the swing of getting the characters right. I found Audrey in particular to be challenging. Anyway hope you liked it! I should be writing more stories soon! I just binged all the seasons and have a ton of ideas.**


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